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ssandks · 05-22-2025, 09:15 PM

The Dometic refrigerator in our 2018 FC 20 has died. 2 (or 3) way refrigerators that fit are not longer available. We will likely replace it with a 12V refrigerator. We have 2 Battleborn lithium batteries (100 each) and 2 100 solar panels. With our current set-up we can camp 4 days in the NW (generally overcast with some sun breaks) without recharging. Do we need to add more lithium batteries? (and what about weight) and/or solar panels?
thank you very much for your responses.

**richard5933** · 05-23-2025, 02:16 AM

Adding another battery would help extend your time possible running on batteries, but if you only have 200w of solar and experience lots of cloudy days you'll likely run into a problem filling the tank.

Your solar output has to be enough to fill the battery bank on your typical day of camping. Otherwise you'll not be able to make full use of the battery bank's capacity.

Forester2 · 05-23-2025, 05:28 AM

Having a generator to top off always adds to peace of mind.

**richard5933** · 05-23-2025, 06:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Forester2

Having a generator to top off always adds to peace of mind.

True - but there are times you don't want to hear the gennie or are not permitted to use one. For those times, especially if it's a lot of your camping time, having a good solar system and battery bank is essential.

Back to the original question...

Have you checked with Vitrifrigo? They apparently make LP/electric fridges and might have something that will fit your trailer.

Or, check to see if one of the Amish factories makes a replacement cooling unit for your fridge. Those typically work better than the original and can bring a dead fridge back to life for a fraction of replacement costs. Same for Dinosaur boards if the control board(s) are dead.

sfranklin · 05-23-2025, 06:42 AM

Do yourself a favor and think very carefully about going the 12v compressor fridge route. It does cool faster, has 2x the interior capacity of it's LP counterparts, but the can be noisy at night, even when in night mode and the enormous power considerations, particularly if you boondock.

If I were in a position where my LP fridge took a dive, I would look to this place to either install their remanufactured cooling unit or order one and install it myself. Keep in mind this place does not provide electronic boards. I would stock up on a few unit specific parts if you can find them and keep that LP fridge as long as you possibly can. I've used LP fridges in RVs for over 25 years and now just got my first 12v compressor. If I could go back to the LP, I would as I boondock and now have to contend with either thousands of dollars in power upgrades and/or bring a small generator to run every few days if I don't have good sun exposure to my 300w rooftop array to even come close to how long I can stay out there with my old LP unit.

https://jc-refrigeration.com/

10Smiles · 05-23-2025, 06:51 AM

We recently went from an absorption to a 12 volt fridge. In preparation for that, we upgraded from 2 x 100 AH batteries to 3 x 100 AH batteries and from 4 x 100 Watt to 6 x 100 Watt solar panels on the roof. Since the solar panels are fixed orientation on the roof, we rarely (if ever) get over 400 Watts out of them. We do most of our camping in the PNW where bright sunny days can be elusive. We recently spent several days boondocking with the first days mostly overcast (lows down into the low 40s or high 30s F), the batteries never got fully charged during those days (running lights, furnace, and refrigerator). Then we got a mostly sunny day and all charged up. At one point I wished I brought the generator, but it worked out without it.

SuperTrouper · 05-23-2025, 07:14 AM

What Richard and Sfranklin said, If my dometic LP fridge ever dies, I'm gonna replace the guts and stick with LP. I have 460AH of litium and 510 watts fo solar but I'd rather use that power on something other than the fridge and the compressor noise issue would be paramount for me as well.

sfranklin · 05-23-2025, 07:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SuperTrouper

What Richard and Sfranklin said, If my dometic LP fridge ever dies, I'm gonna replace the guts and stick with LP. I have 460AH of litium and 510 watts fo solar but I'd rather use that power on something other than the fridge and the compressor noise issue would be paramount for me as well.

Just find and stock up on the control boards, shelves, handles and any unique part to your model LP fridge. If you do this, you can extend the life of that LP fridge almost indefinitely. The guts are the main component and have been and will most likley continue to be available for decades to come from places like the linked JC, but is worthless if your driver board that runs the fridge fails and cannot be sourced or repaired or your handle/latch assembly breaks and you have to MacGyver it as you can't get that part new or easily find it on FleaBay.

I do this with vintage arcade machines. I have some from the 50s that as you can imagine have hard to find parts so when I come across them, I load up on them and have actually had to dip into the stock a few times. Pinballs from the 80 and 90s same thing, different parts, although the 80s and 90s machines are making a comeback and reprodction parts are coming up from time to time, that's not the case with the 50s arcades I have and my guess is, won't be for 10-20 year old LP fridges either, so find them parts and keep a few on hand. You'll thank yourself and me for it later.

aftermath · 05-23-2025, 08:07 AM

ssandks, I would second the notion of putting in a new cooling unit. Going with the 12V unit does have some advantages and these have been discussed a great deal here in the forum. I personally enjoy the ability to boondock without having to rely on the needed energy system that I currently don't have, and can't afford.

That said, my 2006 unit is still running, which I find amazing, and I do expect it to cause trouble one of these days. These days, are getting closer. I will go with a replacement unit. Mine works nicely, is quiet and can run on propane when not connected. Now, don't get me started on the on demand water heaters.....

Old Fart · 05-23-2025, 09:33 AM

Best thing I did was to install the 12V compressor refrig. It will operate off the battier, as well from the TV charging system when traveling. It also gets much colder than the original refrig.

GrandpaMac · 05-23-2025, 09:49 AM

For what it’s worth, I have the Norcold 12/120 fridge, and LOVE the extra interior space, and do NOT find issues with compressor noise at all. I also love the fact that the freezer is actually a FREEZER, and that it has a separate compressor that I can turn off if we are not storing frozen commodities or if we get concerns with power draw.
WRT power, I have four 100 AH batteries that together weigh less than my prior 2 100 AH AGMs. For solar, I only have three, older 85 W solar panels, and am limited to two nights boondocking. I DO live in sunny Florida, however, so AC use and Sun availability complicate my power planning. I do plan to replace my three 85 W solar panels with new recent technology panels. Any thoughts from anyone on sourcing the panels?

coasttocoast · 05-23-2025, 11:51 AM

600 amp hours lithium
600 watts solar

StillRod · 05-23-2025, 12:46 PM

My 2015 25RB FC is sitting at home while I sit right now in my camping van in Lithuania. Anyway, we have a Thetford 12VDC reefer/freezer unit as standard equipment. It is quiet as can be….as in I have to put my ear to the door to verify that it is ON, and the power draw is surprisingly low. We run everything, CPAP, Nespresso, Air Fryer, heater fan, water pump, from a single 210Ah Lithium battery via a 1600W Victron inverter-charger. With power coming in from a 42Amp DC-DC converter and 2x190W solar panels, we‘ve not plugged in to shore power IN OVER A YEAR. FWIW, I‘ve been parked under a tree in Vilnius for three nights and my battery shows 40% charge. Plenty to get me through the night before we drive off tomorrow.

My bottom line? I wouldn‘t shy away from the DC fridge. The DC-DC converter is as huge benefit, far better than a generator…in my opinion.

YMMV.

My comments are purely anecdotal.

Richard actually knows what he‘s talking about.

Best regards,

Rod

uncle_bob · 05-23-2025, 12:50 PM

Hi

We have one of each.

The van has a 12V fridge. The trailer has a propane unit. Both of these are significantly larger than what (likely) will fit in a 20' FC.

What's nice about the 12V: It actually cools to the proper temperatures !!! It has two compressors and the freezer controls independently from the fridge section. On the propane unit, you get nice and cold at the top. Check way down at the bottom in a fully stuffed fridge ... YIKES !!!!

What's nice about the propane unit: It only pulls about 28 AH a day. With 400AH of battery we can run for close to a week even without much sun at all. There are others loads that get into the act .... Propane wise, it empties the tanks very slowly.

Yes, the 12V fridge has more room inside vs the outside. That's nice, but not as big a deal as the other stuff.

Replacing the fridge (either way) is a "many thousands of dollars" sort of adventure. Before I went down the replacement road, I'd make very sure it's not something like a $100 board (which you *can* still get) that is the issue.

To answer your question about "how many days":

If you currently can do 4 days on 200AH, that's <50AH a day minimal solar input. I very much doubt your existing fridge pulls > 1A. At least half your usage is from "other things". That's not at all unusual.

A "likely sized" 12V fridge will get you into the maybe 50 AH/ day range. That's kinda sorta doubling your batteries and maybe adding another panel or two.

Bob

Jum · 05-28-2025, 09:24 AM

The posters mentioning 'compressor noise' don't actually have a current 12v compressor fridge. There is no 'noise' unless you put your head within a foot of my NovaKool 5.8cu ft.

I much prefer having the solar/battery to use a 12v fridge because they perform their function much better than propane units - keeping food cold. Add in the extra space for the same footprint as a bonus.

I have 800W solar/560ah lithium, which is not your average system I know, but so worth it for usability of the trailer.

I really think you would benefit from a portable solar panel or 2 for when you need it. The small Champion dual fuel generator would be a nice alternative also.

Happy.Camper · 05-28-2025, 02:36 PM

I just converted my existing Dometic 2-way in my Tommy Bahama 27 FB to 12V because the board went out and would only run on propane. Woodland Airstream in Grand Rapids, which is who I use to service my trailer, wanted to replace it with a new 3-way for $3,000. I went instead with a conversion to 12V by Adventure RV/JC Refrigeration in Shipshewana, IN for $1,250 using the existing box which was installed last month. Have not had a chance to use it yet but did this on other recommendations in the forums. I live in the Chicago area. Great people to deal with. I have a full 900 watt solar setup with 400 amp hour lithium battery bank and 3000 watt inverter. Excited to see how this performs and think it will do well and work better than propane off grid which is a little bit of an issue when temperatures are high. To retain your existing box I might suggest you research this as an option in your area.

sfranklin · 05-28-2025, 05:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jum

The posters mentioning 'compressor noise' don't actually have a current 12v compressor fridge. There is no 'noise' unless you put your head within a foot of my NovaKool 5.8cu ft.

I have the 9+cf unit and mine is from 2024, and I would think that it is a current 12v compressor fridge. It's not obnoxiously noisy, but it is much more noisy than the LP fridge for sure.

uncle_bob · 05-29-2025, 08:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jum

The posters mentioning 'compressor noise' don't actually have a current 12v compressor fridge. There is no 'noise' unless you put your head within a foot of my NovaKool 5.8cu ft.

......

Hi

It very much depends on the one you happen to get.

Some examples of this or that model are more noisy than others. Some start out fairly quiet and get louder as time goes on. Some NovaKool's get replaced as a result.

Bob

Wyokirk · 05-30-2025, 07:03 AM

We have two RV's. 2008 Airstream Classic with a 2-way absorption refrigerator - 110v and propane and a 2017 Class B van with a 12 volt compressor refrigerator. We upgraded the Airstream in 2023 with 300Ah of lithium and 400watts of solar. Last year we boondocked 4 days at a state park and ran the refrigerator on propane. Batteries finished the weekend at 100%.

The Class B van has 300 watts of solar on the roof - and that won't keep up with the demand of the refrigerator. We usually need to run the generator if we stay at a Harvest Host.

In my personal opinion - and experience, I think 12 volt compressor refrigerators in RV's is a bad idea.

Mollysdad · 05-30-2025, 07:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wyokirk

In my personal opinion - and experience, I think 12 volt compressor refrigerators in RV's is a bad idea.

I have the absorption fridge and plain Jane batteries.
:last year I went 5 days without hookups and ran the generator only to use the microwave or coffeemaker. The temp readout always stays 35º-36º (switch #3)and the frozen stuff stays frozen.
IMO, the joy for a 12v compressor fridge came with the new exciting promise that solar was going to solve all one's need for power and for free! The sales pitch was relentless. "I know this guy who has one small solar panel and he runs his entire ranch off of free power!"
Now we're feeling the hangover.
Knock on aluminum, I hope my old fashioned fridge lasts forever.